Off Property Orlando AWESOME PIZZA PLACES...please suggest!!!

[Luvchefmic]

Just moved here from NYC and have only tried one pizza place so far. It was pretty damn close, but pricey, although it is a massive slice.

Over in downtown Orlando and open 24 hours.

http://www.ginospizzaandbrew.com/

Welcome to Florida and to the Dis ! Try NYPD Pizza that I suggested , you'll feel like you're back in Manhattan YUMM!

 

[Bella the Ball 360]

Welcome to Florida and to the Dis ! Try NYPD Pizza that I suggested , you'll feel like you're back in Manhattan YUMM!

Did you give the locations for NYPD Pizza? I might have missed them. Do you have a link?

I must say sometimes when we are in a hurry we get a pizza from Costco or Wal Mart (they are made by the same company) and they are not bad. NOT gourmet by any stretch but they are better in IMHO Giordanos and for a LOT less money.

 

[Luvchefmic]

Did you give the locations for NYPD Pizza? I might have missed them. Do you have a link?

I must say sometimes when we are in a hurry we get a pizza from Costco or Wal Mart (they are made by the same company) and they are not bad. NOT gourmet by any stretch but they are better in IMHO Giordanos and for a LOT less money.

http://www.nypdpizzeria.com/company.html


several locations in FL everything on the menu and a must for real Italian desserts ! Which is what we were really missing after moving down

http://www.nypdpizzeria.com/desserts.html

 

[TotoToo]

Did you give the locations for NYPD Pizza? I might have missed them. Do you have a link?

I must say sometimes when we are in a hurry we get a pizza from Costco or Wal Mart (they are made by the same company) and they are not bad. NOT gourmet by any stretch but they are better in IMHO Giordanos and for a LOT less money.

Apparently your taste runs toward cardboard rather than pizza crust as I have had few WORSE pizzas than those at Walmart. Maybe some frozen, microwave nightmares but it wold be close. To compare it to a true crafted pizza like Giordano's borders on food blasphemy! I guess most people wouldn't agree with your take as Giordano's is packed nearly every day lunch and dinner while the Walmart, well there aren't as many "enjoying" a chew of damp cardboard with tomato like substance smeared on. Price isn't everything as I gladly pay for what I really enjoy. Giordano's is one of those things.

There are some true values in food (In-N-Out Burger in the Western states comes to mind) where a low price doesn't mean a poor product. Walmart pizza is NOT one of them in my opinion.

 

[Chrisinroch]

Flippers is pretty good. Giordanos kicks Uno's butt in the deep dish department.

Papa Johns?!?! seriously?!?!

 

[maciec]

We always go to Flippers

 

[webprinter]

We like Flippers and Unos.

 

[mrzrich]

I liked Flipper's,well enough, they cheese and the sauce were great, but I could taste the gross Orlando Water in the crust as I ate it. Am I the only one?

 

[LaurieA]

I am interested in finding great tasting pizza also. I just looked at NYPD pizza website..is it a franchise?? Is the crust frozen dough or is everything homemade?

 

[Luvchefmic]

I am interested in finding great tasting pizza also. I just looked at NYPD pizza website..is it a franchise?? Is the crust frozen dough or is everything homemade?

Yes franchise but ALL homemade wish I could afford to get in on one I could make a fortune out here

 

[TotoToo]

I am interested in finding great tasting pizza also. I just looked at NYPD pizza website..is it a franchise?? Is the crust frozen dough or is everything homemade?

It seems to be a local franchise/multi-location place. I think I already mentioned it in this thread but for a really great, thin crust pizza (actually I like the thin crust at Giordano's as good as any - but it isn't a true NY style) is Anthony's Coal Fired up on Turkey Lake Road at Sand Lake Rd (Whole Food Plaza) and at Millennium Mall. Closest to a true NY pizza I've had in the Orlando/South Fl areas. This NYC pizza lover of many decades finds it way better than Flippers or NYPD - but your taste may vary! In any case you should give it a try.

 

[Luvchefmic]

Here's another link that may help visitors and new to the area residents: the Orlando Dining Guide for 2009 and the readers choice awards (not just pizza)

voting is on now for 2010 reviews


http://orlando.diningguide.com/best_of_orlando.html

 

[chrisn]

We tried Flippers last trip and my kids RAVED! They've all requested it again in October. I'd like to try Giordanos, but if we only do one, I'll get lynched if it's not Flippers.

 

[ClanHarrison]

I didn't get to try the Flipper's pizza we ordered, but the group said it was VERY good. I guess that's why I didn't get any . It did look & smell delicious though.

I can vouch for their "italian" sandwiches. Now THEY were surprisingly excellent. I don't do "lunch meat" well, but they were very good.

Sorry...I know this thread was about pizza, but I thought I'd mention what I knew about .

 

[Pineapple Whip]

Welcome to Florida and to the Dis ! Try NYPD Pizza that I suggested , you'll feel like you're back in Manhattan YUMM!

I'll give NYPD a whack one of these days. I had ruled them out completely because I tried the NYPD Pizza in Philly and almost threw up.

I'm on a mission now. My taste buds are fresh from NYC so I guess I should run around trying the slices here. All I know for sure is if you can't get pizza by the slice, it probably isn't going to be NYC pizza. There's other good pizza's but there is a classic NYC slice which is undeniable. There is also bad pizza in NYC.

I'm feeling generous right now:

Taste of Asia on Turkey Lake. Good Chinese, but there was a Sunday night that it was meh.

Delish on Turkey and Sand Lake. Pretty good lox bagel.

I swear if I start seeing crowds down the block I will never post another local joint, but if word don't get out and these places shut down I might not eat either.

 

[Pineapple Whip]

I didn't get to try the Flipper's pizza we ordered, but the group said it was VERY good. I guess that's why I didn't get any . It did look & smell delicious though.

I can vouch for their "italian" sandwiches. Now THEY were surprisingly excellent. I don't do "lunch meat" well, but they were very good.

Sorry...I know this thread was about pizza, but I thought I'd mention what I knew about .

@ClanHarrison, post what you know, that's how the information gets around. The pizza places I knew had pizza, meatball / chicken / shrimp / sausage / veal parm on a hero, over baked ziti, garlic knots, calamari, francese, marsala, garlic bread, stromboli, calzones, various meat and mozz rolled in a crust, beef patties, gyros, italian ices, stuffed pizza, sandwiches that was a pizza parlor.

@#%! Now I'm hungry.

 

[Pineapple Whip]

Tried Flipper's pizza, half pepperoni, half sausage, X-Cheese.

This is NOT NYC pizza, it's doing its own thing. However it is good. I would go out of my way to eat at Flipper's over Dominos, Pizza Hut, or Papa Johns. An X-large pie had 12 slices, but 4 slices is equal to 2 NYC slices.

The crust is a bit bready but good in its own right. The filled part of the crust is too thin and weak to hold a lot of toppings, and the toppings separate from the crust to easily.

Pepperoni had more flavor than the sausage. The sausage was more like a meatball flavor.

Overall it was good. I would go back and try other toppings and some of their other non-pizza offerings. Have to try other places first though.

 

[Pineapple Whip]

I tried the NYPD on Universal Blvd. I'm going to give them a second shot and edit this post after that because... well I showed up near closing and I think they rushed the pie. I firmly believe that if they had tried a bit harder, they would have had a very good NYC pizza. Some dude was doing a pizza toss with a phony dough (round towel) that brought back memories before the department of health stopped that business. They don't like hairy paisano arms all over the dough in NYC. The NYC decor didn't make me feel like I was in NYC, but all the NYPD logos on blue t-shirts, I kept feeling like I was in a room full of cops. There was even this delivery guy that looked like he came straight from a precinct until he opened his mouth and had a Florida accent.

Good news, to my surprise, this is indeed, a NYC pizza. Not a great NYC pizza, but a very good one. If they had left it in the oven just a bit longer for the crust to firm up a little more in the middle, it would have been perfect. The crust was a tad too thin in the center and needed to be crisper.

The pepperoni is excellent, the Italian sausage, very good but with room for improvement. I hate to say anything negative because they were so close. It's like you forgot that one little thing or step, but overall, I'd have to say a 7-8 out of 10. Even NYC has bad pizza joints and this was better than all of them. When I think of my 5 NYC favorites, this is number 6. I also hate to bash them since I was so surprised... like I said earlier, I tried NYPD in Philly and it was horrible.

The garlic knots were okay, closer to dinner rolls, but again the same problem where they needed to crust up just a bit more. They also needed to have more olive oil and garlic all over them.

It is franchise, but in the sense that they're staying pretty close to the real thing for a franchise, which is rare. If they keep this up and maintain their quality control standards, NYC pizza won't be a NYC thing anymore.

I look forward to trying more of their stuff. Enjoy the pics, this is how NYC pizza looks (right down to the little thingy in the middle that holds the slices in place). You can see the brown spots on the pizza crust (there should be more of them) and the blonde garlic knots which were under done. An occasional piece of well done (read charred) pepperoni is a wonderful thing. I put those knots and a slice in my oven at 4 or 500* the next day for a bit and they were much better. NYC pizza ovens cook at 700* there's a little singe going on on the outside crust while the inside is doughy and still chewy. The crust shouldn't be burnt, but thin like a cracker and firm enough to hold a load of toppings and extra cheese, with some char on the bottom and outer crust. I'm gonna abuse the NYPD slice next time I go, 2 toppings and extra cheese. Then a meatball parm.

Thanks to Luvchefmic for the heads up. They're near my place and delicious.

Edit: went again for a snack and got two plain slices. They were good. Noticed they actually do hand toss the dough, and that takes a lot of practice to get it uniformly thick all around. This time they were crispier. For taste they are up there in the very good pizza ranks of NYC.

 

[MIChessGuy]

We ate at the Giordano's on Apopka-Vineland Road last week and thought it was excellent. So, one more vote for them.

And a side note regarding the NYPD Pizza at 9900 Universal Blvd. -- that's part of a shopping complex that includes a Publix supermarket, so you can stop in there on the same visit if you need stuff for the hotel fridge.

 

[Dano1182]

None!!
If you want Pizza you must come to NY.
Maybe Chicago is you think pizza should come in a pan.
Same goes for Bagels.